From Likes to Leads: Five Reasons to Run a Contest on Social Media

If you're trying to build engagement with followers and reach new potential customers on social media, a contest is a great way to build traction online quickly. Contests grab attention, encourage sharing and commenting, and spark the kind of engagement that algorithms reward. A contest can be as simple as a giveaway, a push to gather testimonial comments with an incentive at the end, or a fun scavenger hunt of your website. It's a chance for you to get creative, and structure the contest to create the results you're looking for!

Before you get started:

1) Define your goals

2) Choose the giveaway or contest that fits

3) Decide on budget and prizes

4) Consider your audience and the right platform to reach them

Then once you have all those foundational decisions in place, you can dig in and start planning! To help you make informed decisions, we've outlined in this article five different reasons you might want to run a contest and practical ideas to pull each one off successfully.

Why Would You Run a Contest on Social Media?

1) To Grow Your Following

This is probably one of the most common reasons brands facilitate a contest on social media. You can make one of the criteria for the drawing to like your page and share the post. And even though we’ve all seen a lot of them, these still work pretty well IF the prize is “worth it.” Nobody wants to spam their friends, so people weigh whether the reward is big enough or the odds are good enough to justify sharing. When your goal is to grow your following, we recommend the standard like, share, comment strategy. Another common addition is a call to action to tag friends in the comments. For example, if you ask people to tag three friends, your post could get up to three times more visibility since those friends and family are pulled into the conversation. Depending on your audience, you might also consider encouraging people to follow your account on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, or other platforms where they’re spending more of their time. No matter where the contest lives, the key is making the prize valuable enough for people to stick their neck out for you.

2) To Increase Engagement

The more engagement your content gets, the more rewarded you will be in the social media algorithms. Engagement includes reactions, comments, shares, saves, and other actions that create activity on your posts. Of these, comments can be especially powerful because they often expand visibility to friends of the commenter. Structuring your contest in a way that promotes comments and tagging will really help it take off. On other platforms, engagement looks slightly different: Instagram favors saves and story shares, TikTok rewards reposts and video completion, and LinkedIn often prioritizes comments and reshares. No matter the platform, a well-structured contest that encourages your audience to interact in those native ways will boost your visibility and extend your reach.

3) To Get More Eyes on a Post

Sometimes your goal is speed, when you need a lot of people to see something in a short amount of time, like a grand opening, a product launch, or a special promotion. A contest can be a powerful way to drive that visibility. Offering a high-value prize (like a $300 gift card) will naturally draw attention, but the key is choosing an entry method that matches the platform. For example, Facebook still works well for like, comment, and share-style contests, although privacy settings mean you will not always see exactly who shared your post. You will, however, be able to see the overall number of shares, and behind the scenes tools like Meta Business Suite can give you even more insights into how your post is performing. Instagram favors tagging friends in comments or sharing to stories, while TikTok rewards reposts and stitches. The important thing is to design your contest around the engagement options that the platform rewards most, so your message gets in front of as many eyes as possible.

4) To Collect Leads

If your goal is to collect contact information or qualify potential leads, contests can be an effective strategy. Many brands now integrate contests directly with email marketing or CRM platforms like Mailchimp or HubSpot, so every entry automatically feeds into subscriber lists for future campaigns. Dedicated contest tools such as ShortStack, Wishpond, and Woobox are also widely used, offering features like custom landing pages, referral tracking, and built-in analytics. Some businesses create quick entry forms using platforms like Typeform or Jotform to keep participation simple and mobile-friendly. No matter the tool, the key is to make entry fast, clear, and transparent about how the information will be used, so participants feel comfortable signing up.

5) To Gather Testimonials

For brands that want to improve website traffic, increase search visibility, or gather positive feedback for marketing purposes, contests can be structured to encourage testimonial submissions. Offer an appealing prize such as a spa day, car detailing, or a special experience, and make leaving a review or comment a condition for entry. Be clear about where you want feedback to appear, whether on your Google reviews, Facebook recommendations, or a trusted review platform. To make it easy for participants, provide direct links or instructions for leaving their comment.

Keep in mind, you cannot ask for only 5-star reviews, but you can absolutely invite people to share their honest thoughts. That means you might get glowing praise, or you might get some real truth, and both can be valuable for your business. Framing it this way keeps you in line with platform rules and helps you gather authentic feedback you can actually learn from. While this type of contest may not generate the same viral reach as a sharing contest, asking participants to drop a quick confirmation comment after reviewing is a simple way to boost engagement too.

 

Don't Forget to Make Your Contest Stand Out!

A strong contest is not just about the prize or the rules; it is also about how you present it. The graphic or photo you use is often the first thing people notice, so invest time in making it eye-catching. That might mean designing a polished graphic, outsourcing to a designer, or simply snapping a crisp, close-up photo of the prize. Pair that with a caption that clearly explains how to enter, what participants could win, and when the contest ends. The combination of a strong visual and a clear, engaging caption will help your contest stop the scroll and capture more attention.

Running a contest on social media is more than giving away a prize. It is about creating a moment that gets people excited to interact with your brand. When you choose the right format, keep the entry steps simple, and offer something your audience truly values, you set yourself up for more than short-term buzz. You build trust, spark conversations, and leave people with a positive impression that lasts long after the contest ends. Ready to see the impact for yourself? Start planning your next contest and watch how quickly your audience responds!

Want to Learn More?

If this sparked ideas or raised questions, feel free to reach out! Book a free consultation. No pressure. Just a conversation to move you in the right direction.

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